Incredible Underwater Images Taken by You

Take a deep breath then dive into this gallery of astonishing undersea images from National Geographic's #YourShot community

Friday, March 1, 2019

Each spring, snowmelt raises Grüner See (“green lake”) by around 30 feet, flooding its surroundings and creating an underwater park. When diving over benches and trees, writes Marc Henauer, “you cross the border of a magic world.”

Photograph by MARC HENAUER, National Geographic Your Shot

Shooting with a 100mm macro lens means “continuously looking into the viewfinder to compose and hoping the wave doesn’t wipe me out,” says Danny Sepkowski, who named this image “Nebula” because “it reminded me of the iconic photo Pillars of Creation.”

Photograph by DANNY SEPKOWSKI, National Geographic Your Shot

Behind this chaotic image is a well-orchestrated plan of attack. Photographer Greg Lecoeur explains that Cape gannets follow dolphins before plunging into the water at high speed to get their fill of sardines.

Photograph by GREG LECOEUR, National Geographic Your Shot

A porcelain crab’s bright markings pop as it peers out of the sea anemone. Though it may look fierce, Thomas Bannenberg notes that porcelain crabs are delicate, often losing limbs when attacked.

Photograph by THOMAS BANNENBERG, National Geographic Your Shot

Lecoeur had to wait patiently for this green turtle to be ready for its crisp close up. His patience paid off: “After a little while, the turtles were circling around us,” he writes.

Photograph by GREG LECOEUR, National Geographic Your Shot

Shooting underwater has shown Fabrice Guerin evidence of climate change in action. Shoals of fish like these, hunted by speedy sailfish and “essential [to] the survival of the other marine species are slowly disappearing,” he writes.

Photograph by FABRICE GUERIN, National Geographic Your Shot

"It's always exciting to discover another world. Liquid, dark without life. Just stones, huge stalactites and stalagmites,” writes Fabrice Guerin. But, “sometimes, the natural light reminds you that there is an outside world."

Photograph by FABRICE GUERIN, National Geographic Your Shot

Peacock bass fry “hover around their mum for protection against predators.” Michael O’Neill describes peacock bass as excellent parents who “will protect their young against any threat.”

Photograph by MICHAEL O’NEILL, National Geographic Your Shot

Explaining that he loves to play with “fantastic and unreal” underwater scenes, Marc Henauer’s reversal of this image disturbs the senses, making it “hard to understand where is the top and where is the bottom.”

Photograph by MARC HENAUER, National Geographic Your Shot

Jason Sintek credits the conservation efforts of a nearby village for the fact that divers can still witness such staggering numbers of bigeye trevally congregate annually in Baja California Sur's Cabo Pulmo Marine Park.

Photograph by JASON SINTEK, National Geographic Your Shot

When you dive Cenote Angelita, explains Fabrice Guerin, “the light goes from green to blue, creating a surreal scene. A layer of hydrogen sulphide separates the fresh water from the deeper salt water, creating ‘another world.’”

Photograph by FABRICE GUERIN, National Geographic Your Shot

The world’s largest gypsum cave, Orda Cave extends more than three miles in length. Its clear waters and pure white interiors make it a joy to explore—and to photograph.

Photograph by VIKTOR LYAGUSHKIN, National Geographic Your Shot

Careful not to disturb this false anemonefish, Gregory Piper focused on one spot and allowed it to pass through the frame. “The behaviour of these animals is truly amazing,” he writes.

Photograph by GREGORY PIPER, National Geographic Your Shot

A shaft of sunlight illuminates a diver swimming in a cenote. “When you dive in a cenote,” writes Fabrice Guerin, “you become an adventurer and archaeologist,” discovering something new behind each rock.

Photograph by FABRICE GUERIN, National Geographic Your Shot

After a two-hour walk, Marc Henauer arrived at this waterfall along the Verzasca River. This composition, paired with the perfectly clear water, reveals a contrast between the stillness below and action above.

Photograph by MARC HENAUER, National Geographic Your Shot

This image, taken under Arctic Russia’s frozen White Sea, is named “Two Worlds.” Viktor Lyagushkin says “an ice hole for me is [like] a rabbit hole through which Alice may fall into Wonderland.”

Photograph by VIKTOR LYAGUSHKIN, National Geographic Your Shot

Sperm whales spend small parts of their days napping in a vertical position. In Fabrice Guerin’s image, a free diver swims around without disturbing these sleeping beauties. “Nature provides beautiful surprises,” he writes.

Photograph by FABRICE GUERIN, National Geographic Your Shot

Photographer Fabrice Guerin witnessed this humpback calf play as its mother quietly watched over it. “Suddenly,” he says, “she decided to move. They joined at the surface and the baby rubbed his mother like [giving her] a hug.”

Photograph by FABRICE GUERIN, National Geographic Your Shot

Although these dolphins are enjoying a feeding frenzy, Greg Lecoeur notes that the sardines upon which they depend are becoming scarcer—“victims of overfishing and climate change”—and this type of hunt less predictable.

Photograph by GREG LECOEUR, National Geographic Your Shot

While waves crash on the surface, all may appear calm underneath the sea, but Marc Henauer describes the experience as being pushed “back and forth” by the force of the water.

Photograph by MARC HENAUER, National Geographic Your Shot

Photographer Adam Silverman describes this skeleton shrimp as an “alien.” But, by bringing out its almost-humanlike eyes and outstretched arms, his use of a magnifier grounds this odd-looking being firmly on Earth.

Photograph by ADAM SILVERMAN, National Geographic Your Shot

In the near-freezing waters of northern Norway, Fabrice Guerin bade his time in front of a shoal of herring in the hope of seeing an orca. To his surprise, this humpback whale appeared instead.

Photograph by FABRICE GUERIN, National Geographic Your Shot

A glimmer of light highlights the colours and textures of this cuttlefish, which has joined thousands of others for the annual Australian giant cuttlefish aggregation, “one of nature’s great events,” writes Scott Portelli.

Photograph by SCOTT PORTELLI, National Geographic Your Shot

A free diver comes face to face(s) with a mass of silverfish forming a bait ball, which changes shape in response to the diver’s movements. “When you encounter marine life,” writes Marc Henauer, “your life changes forever.”

Photograph by MARC HENAUER, National Geographic Your Shot

Shane Gross achieved a close encounter with typically shy Caribbean reef sharks by placing his camera on a rock and using a remote trigger to “click away as they came in and bumped my camera around.”